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Ripening Peppercorns

Posted by Olivia Maki on December 23, 2013

Since the discovery of spices long ago, wars have been fought for them, kings and queens have longed for them and food lovers have delighted in them. Spices have inspired brave adventurers and epic poems. Ancient healing systems from traditional Chinese medicine to Ayurveda have practiced specific spice combinations that shaped the very flavors we know their countries for today.

Ground pepper is a staple in most recipes all around the world. From adding a gentle kick to your soup to causing a sneeze attack, this spice is commonplace in most kitchens. But what about the variations in colors and shapes?

Black pepper is a flowering vine and the fruit, the peppercorn, is cultivated and dried. Native to southern India, black pepper is still grown predominately in tropical regions. The organic peppercorns we sell at Spicely come from Sri Lanka, India and Brazil. Currently, Vietnam is the world's largest producer and exporter of pepper.

Black peppercorns are cooked, dried unripe fruit from the black pepper plant. Green peppercorns are uncooked, dried unripe fruit. White pepper is unripe fruit seeds. Pink peppercorns, however, are from a different plant completely, the Peruvian pepper tree. See all the organic peppercorns we have to offer: